The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation will hand over the 12 sandalwood trees to be used in the building of the royal funeral pyre for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej to fine arts authorities this week.
DNP director-general Thanya Netithammakun said on Saturday the trees to be used in the royal funeral of the late monarch are set to be delivered to the Fine Arts Department's Office of Traditional Arts in Nakhon Pathom on Tuesday.
The arrival of the 12 sandalwood trees will be received by permanent secretary for culture Kitsayapong Siri, Fine Arts Department director-general Anan Chuchote and relevant authorities.
Mr Thanya said the trees will be moved out of Kui Buri National Park in Prachuap Khiri Khan province by national park officials at 6.30am on Tuesday. Candles and joss sticks will be lit to pay respect to an image of the Buddha and the late King. Holy water will be poured on the trees before flower petals are scattered around them.
A procession of lorries carrying the sandalwood trees will depart from the national park at 6.39am to the Kui Buri District Office. The procession will be led by Kui Buri national park chief and officials as well as a district chief and chairmen of tambon administration organisations in the district.
At 7.30am, the procession will arrive at the district office where a ceremony to deliver the trees will be held at 8am. About 1,000 government officials and local residents are expected to attend the ceremony.
At 9.09am, the sandalwood tree procession will leave the district office and use routes, covering about 270km via the province's Sam Roi Yot and Hua Hin districts and Phetchaburi's Cha-am and Muang districts before entering Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces.
The procession will take about five hours before arriving at the Office of Traditional Arts at 2pm.
The government's joint peace-maintaining command centre has increased food and drinking water provision at Sanam Luang to accommodate mourners.
